Caged
by TheNightWolf101
Summary: Starfire is kidnapped by Gordainians, where she is sold into slavery. Will she survive, or will she never escape her imprisonment? Rated T for safety, probably good for mature teens. Occurs after the events of Tokyo Rob/Star and hints of BB/Rae
1. Chapter 1

This was done because of a challenge that was assigned to me by t-rex989.

This won't replace Life of a Teenager, its just going to help provide some new content for readers.

I hope you enjoy and... I DON'T OWN THE TEEN TITANS!

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Starfire sat on the roof of the Tower, where she waved her feet over the edge. She felt the cool night air blow against her face, gently waving her fiery red hair in a slow movement. She closed her eyes and smiled, taking in all the freedoms of the outdoors. She listened to the waves crashing against the shoreline as she watched the sun gently set below the horizon. She mentally took note of the time and patiently waited. She waited until she heard the slow swing of the roof door open. She didn't need to turn to see who it was, for she already knew. Although she loved the rooftop, she loved it more when the one thing that made it special was there. Robin

Robin approached quietly as he sat along the edge of the tower, hanging his feet over the edge. He gave Starfire a soft smile as the two watched the sunset together. Robin would always watch the sunset with Starfire. They would always sit up here at dusk, watching the moon rise into its place in the sky and count the stars that dotted the brightly lit night. After Tokyo, their relationship grew to a new level. Shortly after coming home from their vacation, they announced that they had become a couple to the Titans and regularly spent much of their free time together. However, the rooftop was one of the most private places they had with each other, away from the paparazzi and their companions. On this night, the two sat silently with each other, relishing in each other's presents. When the sun started to disappear behind the horizon, Starfire let out a smile sigh. Robin raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Are you alright, Star?" He asked gently. Starfire blushed slightly and giggled. "Yes, Robin. I just hate to watch the sun dissipate beneath the horizon. It spells the end of a glorious moment which I spend with you." She reply's shyly. He nodded. "Yeah. At least it always rises back up again." He stated as he moved closer to her. She took note of his answer and smiled. "That is most true. Yet, it feels like this will never occur again. As if this was the last time we were ever allowed to see each other." She whispers as she lays gently into his chest. "That will never happen. We will always come up here, and we will always be together." He whispered caringly. He held her in his arms, laying his chin on her shoulder as the two watch the remainder of the sunset.

When the sun finally dips out of sight. Robin sighs as he slowly stands up. "I guess we should get some rest." He said as he offered his hand to her. She nodded graciously and took his hand. He led her to the metal door, before she suddenly stopped. He turned to see her looking up at the stars. "Are the stars the same here as they are on Tamaran?" He asked, approaching her. She snapped back into reality as she smiled. "Of course. They are one of the things that remains the same between the two worlds. I have always thought they are so beautiful!" She said joyfully. He chuckled at her happiness. "Yeah they are. But none of them compare to you." He replied. He embraced her as he laid a small kiss on her lips. She returned more passionately as the kiss prolonged. When the two broke apart for air, Robin kissed her head gently. "I love it when you are happy." He whispered in her ear. She smiled. "Does that not mean you are always happy, since my happiness occurs often?" She asked curiously. He chuckled and kissed her nose. "I think that does mean I am happy. At least when I am with you." He grinned. "Come on. Let's get some rest." He said as he took her hand. She followed him, and the two walked back to their rooms, where they would wait for the sun to rise again.

When Robin escorted Starfire to her room, she turned around and gave him a small hug. "Goodnight, Richard." She whispered into his ear. He smiled brightly at the sound of his name and gave her a small kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, Kori." He smiled as he departed for his room. Once he is out of sight, Starfire shuts her metal door and dives into bed, embracing the warm blankets and sheets as they carry her off to sleep.

Starfire was suddenly awoken by the sound of breaking glass. Before she realized what had happened, a cloth rapped around her mouth and nose, she kicked and screamed, hitting anything that was near her. She heard a groaned when she punched a figure that stood before her. The more she kicked and screamed, the more her body became weak. She tried with every ounce of her energy to fight back, but the chemicals overwhelmed her and she fell to the ground with a hard thud. She couldn't move her body, none of her muscles would respond. She heard whispers all around her, in a language she soon recognized as Gordainian. She tried to scream, but her lips would not open. She felt her body being lifted up by the two figures and they carried her to her broken window, where a space shuttle hovered silently in the air. They hustled her into handcuffs and threw her into the glass prison. The two rushed onto the control panel and pulled the space shuttle up into the air. Before she even knew it, the shuttle had blasted off into the far reaches of space. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a dark figure, breaking through her door. She forced her eyes to see who it was. Her eyes widened in fear as she saw Robin dash for the shuttle. She heard him scream her name and run straight toward the ship, his feet leaped up toward the ship as he tried to grapple the edge of the ship. Her heart screamed as she saw the grapple fall short and catch nothing but air. She watched in utter terror as her boyfriend fell to the ocean. She forced her eyes to shut as tears fell from her face. She cried, screaming his name yet nothing could come out. She tried desperately to free herself, but all she could manage was to watch the Tower dissipate below her, as she watched the world she had grown to love fade away. Tears streamed down her face as she screamed silently until her throat felt raw.

Robin awoke to a sudden crash. He shot up from his bed and burst through his door. When he heard the screams, his heart started to race as his feet started to pound against the metal flooring of the Tower. He followed the sounds of screams and realized whose room it came from. His eyes widened in fear, as he kicked the door down, witnessing the carnage that had unfold. Starfire's room was in utter chaos, like a tornado has ran through the room. His eyes shot toward the window where he caught a glimpse of a strange space craft flying away. His heart dropped into his stomach when he saw his girlfriend laying helplessly in the glass cylinder. He saw her eyes travel to him and widen in fear. "Starfire!" He screamed as he watched her fly away. He dashed at the shuttle, racing to the edge of the ship and tried to grapple to it. His grapple was to short and he felt himself fall to the ground, helplessly watching Starfire disappear into space. He fell into the darkness as he watched the ship leave the atmosphere and prepared himself for the impact of hitting the rocky shoreline. Before he hit the ground, he stopped and hovered. He opened his eyes to see a black fade encompassing him, protecting him from falling any further. It carried him into Starfire's room and gently set him down. He saw Raven eye's return to normal as Beastboy and Cyborg stood next to the edge of the window and helped him up. He sprinted past hem and flew up onto the rooftop, where he searched the skies desperately for the ship. He fell to his knees and pounded the ground with his fists. "Starfire!" He screamed into the sky. The others made their way up the stairs and tried to understand the situation. "Dudes, what just happened!? Did they take Starfire!?" Beastboy questioned. Robin laid back on his knees as he face his friends. "We need to follow that ship! We need to get her back!" He yelled authoritatively as he pulled himself up and raced to the door. Cyborg rushed to the door and stopped him from leaving. "Whoa, man. Calm down. This isn't the time to freak out. We need to think about this before we race into the middle of space." Cyborg stated, trying to calm Robin down. "NO! We can't just sit here and do nothing! We have to follow that ship!" Robin yelled as he tried to push Cyborg out of the way. "Robin. That ship might already be gone." Raven ordered. Robin clenched his fists as he turned toward her. "So you are just going to give up on her?!" Robin growled. "No Robin." She sighed softly. "But we have to plan our next move carefully. We can't just chase after the ship, when we don't know who it is or where they are going." She added. Robin grinded his teeth and he clenched his fists until they turned white. "Trust us, Robin. We all want to get her back as quick as possible. But we need to be rational about this. We don't know how dangerous her kidnappers are." She rationalized laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. He shut his eyes tightly. He let out a deep breath and nodded. "Fine." He submitted and then turned towards Cyborg. "Beastboy. Get me any evidence from Starfire's room that will help us track down who these guys are." He ordered. Beastboy nodded as he changed into a bloodhound and trampled down the stairs. "Cy, I need you to access our security cameras and see if they were caught on the tapes." He commanded. Cyborg nodded as he rushed out the rooftop door. Robin then turned to Raven and bowed his head. "I need you to access our records over all the criminals we have kidnapped. We need to check if any of our known enemies had anything to do with this." He commanded as he approached the edge of the rooftop. "What about you?" Raven asked. Robin closed his eyes. "I am going to review over the satellites. If anything left the atmosphere, those satellites would have picked them up. I could identify the ship she was taken in, and maybe we can get a lead from there." Robin responded. Raven turned to walk away, when she spoke again. "We will find her, Robin. Whoever did this won't get away with it." Raven stated as she teleported away. Robin looked up into the stars. "I promise, Star. I will get you back. No matter what." He mumbled to the sky, as he sprinted down the rooftop stairs.

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I hope you liked it. I will continue this story as well as Life For a Teenager, and hopefully this one will receive some positive results.

Thanks a bunch!

-N. Wolf


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the great reviews! You guys are awesome!

Review and Enjoy!

I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS!

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Starfire laid helplessly on the cold metal, unable to move. Whatever the Gordainians had drugged her with, it still held her body in an unbreakable paralysis. It doesn't matter, she thought. Robin is dead. She couldn't stop crying for him. She didn't care if she was captured or killed by the Gordainians, it didn't bother her. All she wanted was to see Robin again. After an hour or so passed, she finally calmed down and began to think somewhat clearly. She had to escape the Gordainians. Before she could come up with an idea for escape, one of her kidnappers approached her. She now fully recognized him as a Gordainian, most likely hired to find her. _"Princess Koriande'r of Tamaran. We have been hired to find you and take you back to the Citadel." _The alien spoke to her in Tamaranian. She tried to respond, but her mouth still refused to open._ "You will not be able to escape. The poison you have inhaled will last the entire trip. It is futile." _He added with a devilish grin. All she could manage to do was narrow her eyes. The alien chuckled as it returned to the cockpit. Starfire couldn't breath, she could barely think straight anymore. She was going back to the Citadel. She still had nightmares from her last horrific imprisonment. Now, she had to survive again. She let the tears flow down her face as they dropped to the cold floor. She was the reason Robin is dead. She breathed in deeply and tried to calm herself down. She tried to remember the scene, where Robin had fallen to the rocky shore. She had not heard him fall nor did she hear him crash to the ground. A small glimmer of hope emerged from her. Maybe he hadn't died and maybe he was looking for her right now. Starfire clutched on desperately to the hope and mentally prayed that he was alive. But her tears kept falling, realizing that she was still heading toward the place of her nightmares.

Starfire was startled back to reality when she felt the ship jar to a stop. She looked to see the massive prison. It loomed overhead as the ship approached the dock. Her heart pounded against her chest. She tried to shut her eyes and will herself awake. She had to be dreaming. This wasn't real. Yet, every time she open them, the prison still loomed ominously overhead, and she silently screamed in fear. The ship approached the large docking site as it flew into an open spot and landed gently down. When the ship was grounded, the two Gordainians approached her, one with a large spear and the other had special handcuffs. The cylindrical prism dropped into the ship and nothing stood between her and her captors. The Gordainians cuffed her numb hands and dragged her out the ship. They walked onto the metal platforms of the docking areas. They stood silently and waited. From the southern gate, 5 figures approached them. 4 wore layers of armor and metal while the one in the middle wore traditional royalty clothing. The 4 guardians halted in unison as their leader approached Starfire and examined her. He encircled her, gently grazing her with his fleshy, green hand. _"It is so good to finally see you, darling. Welcome back to the Citadel. I am the new Warden. I am so happy to finally be able to see one of the few prisoners that escaped my prison." _The Warden grinned maliciously. Starfire could only stare at him, not being able to complete any other task. _"I am quite fond of getting to see you suffer. You made Citadel look like an embarrassment for a prison. I am overjoyed to see over your auction. It will be quite enjoyable." _The Warden added. He shouted something in Gordainian and her two captors picked her up and dragged her to the holding pits. Before he left, The Warden turned around and smiled. _"I hope you find my new buyers to be quite an extraordinary group of individuals. Enjoy your stay, "Princess." _The Warden laughed as he trotted away, his bodyguards trailing his every footstep.

Robin had stayed up all night watching the satellite cameras. He didn't care that he was exhausted. He just had to find her. The others had been working all night to find any evidence of Starfire's captors. . Even though he tirelessly worked, he couldn't stop thinking about Starfire. She filled every corner of his mind. And every thought just made his will and determination to find her even stronger. He had been examining last night reports, when Beastboy burst through his door. "Dude, I found something!" Beastboy exclaimed. Robin jumped from his chair and approached them. Beastboy handed him a small rag. "I found this next to her drawers. I can smell there is some sort of chemicals covering it. It might even have the DNA of her captors!" Beastboy gleamed. Robin smiled softly. "Great work. Get this to Cyborg and tell him to examine it for DNA. We don't know what is covering it, right?' He asked. "No idea. I have never smelt anything like this before." Beastboy replied. "Then be extremely careful with it. We don't want the DNA to be destroyed nor do we want to get hurt by this stuff." Beastboy nodded and carefully took the rag back as he quickly ran to Cyborg. When he left, Raven approached him. "I checked our records. Of the criminals we have fought before, there is a only a few suspects." She stated. "Do you really think a human did this? It might have been that her captors are from an alien race, maybe enemies of Tamaranians.". She added. "That's what I am starting to think." Robin agreed. He turned to her. "I need you to examine our recent data over some alien lifeforms. I noticed on the ship that it had specific markings. It looked like writing, but I am not sure what it said." He said. Robin remembered Starfire trying to teach him some simple phrases of her language. He remembered how difficult it was then, and how complex her language really was. He assumed all languages were like that. "The symbols look familiar to Tamaranian writing. Maybe that is a place to start." Robin noted. Raven nodded. "Alright. Let me see what I can find." She said as she teleported off to her room.

Robin was left in the silence of his room. He fell into his chair and laid back. He let his face fall into his hands as his tears slowly escaped his eyes. He couldn't believe that this was happening again. He had lost his parent's and now he was starting to lose his girlfriend. He looked up at his desk to see his pictures on his wall. One was of his parent's, a few years before they died. He had been very young in when the picture was taken, and it was one of the few remaining happy moments he still had of his family. The second picture was of his team. They took it one day while they were out for pizza. It was a great day to remember, since it was their first successful day at crime fighting. The last picture held only Robin and Starfire. He took the third picture in his hands and examined it more closely. It had been taken right after they got together. The picture showed Starfire and Robin sitting together on a bench at the park. Beastboy had taken it while they were at the park one day. Robin smiled through his tears as he remembered why he kept it. The pictured captured Starfire's true beauty. Robin clenched the edge of the picture tightly as he gently placed it back on its spot on the wall.

Robin jumped when his communicator went off. He wiped his tears away and answered, finding Cyborg staring back at him. "Any news?" Robin asked promptly, trying to contain his emotions again. "I identified the chemicals on that rag Beastboy found. It appears to be some sort of drug. I am still not sure how it works, but I believe this is how they were able to immobilize Starfire so easily." Cyborg replied. Robin nodded. "Good. Did you find any DNA samples that could lead us to the suspects?" Robin questioned. "No, I didn't, but I can trace the origins of the drug. It might be able to lead us to whoever created it in the first place and maybe to the one who used it on Starfire." Cyborg answered. "Good. The more evidence we have about these guys the better. Did you find anything on the security cameras?" Robin asked. Cyborg shook his head. "Nothing. The two guys who kidnapped her were wearing cloaks and masks. The cameras got good shots at their ship, however. It has markings of unknown origins all around it." Robin sighed briefly, then looked at Cyborg. "Raven is looking over some of our records for alien lifeforms. Send her those images so she can hopefully match them with whatever lifeform did this." Cyborg stood puzzled. "You think an alien lifeform did this?" Cyborg asked. Robin nodded. "The ships look familiar to ones that we encountered last time, when Starfire's sister came to visit us. Starfire told me she had escaped an alien race that had imprisoned her so her planet could retain peace. They might be the same race that kidnapped her last night." Robin explained. Cyborg thought about his reasoning and nodded. "That would make sense. It would also make our situation even harder." Cyborg concluded. Robin nodded in agreement. Take care of criminals was easy compared to fighting an entire race of alien lifeforms. "Are you alright?" He asked his leader. Robin returned to reality. "Yeah" Robin stated sadly. Cyborg bowed his head. "We'll get her back, man. Don't worry." Cyborg reassured his friend as he ended the call. Robin returned his gaze to the wall, where his pictures still hung. Robin clenched his fists. "I won't give up. I won't lose you, Star." He muttered to the wall. He picked himself up and ran out the door and into the Titan Library, where all of their records were stored.

Starfire was dragged by her arms into the holding pits. She felt the fear boiling within her, ready to explode at any second. She tried her best to act calm, but was failing miserably to hide the fear from her eyes. Her two captors dragged down the metal halls and pushed through a brass door, where they entered a large, dark room. The room was barren beside the empty, stone bed and small whole in the ground. They deposited her at the edge of the hard stone bed, and tightened her cuffs before they hurried off, locking the brass door behind them with a large click.

When they finally left, Starfire released all of her bottled up emotions. She sobbed into the small bed, her body barely able to move. Even though she still felt the numbness of the poison, she was able partially move. She laid down on the hard bed, not caring about how uncomfortable it was. For hours she cried into the hard rock until she could not produce any more tears. She lifted her head slightly and flipped on her back to look up at the ceiling. She felt her heart cringe as she saw how truly dark this room was. There was no real source of light, except for small pockets that dotted the marble walls. The walls were lined with moss and water, making the room humid and hot. She felt like she was in an oven. She was drenched with sweat only after of a few hours of sitting in it. Besides the bed, a corner had a small hole in the ground. She cringed, realizing that this was her only bathroom. "X'hal, please help me escape!" She whispered. She noticed in the corner of her eye a small red dot, blinking in rapid succession. As she looked closer, she noticed the camera slightly swaying back and forth, watching her every movement.

Starfire finally started to move her tired muscles, resurrecting them from their slumber. She slowly made her way to the ground and started to stretch the muscles in her arms and legs. Once she felt her muscles were mostly awake, she started to exercise. She walked a few laps around her cell and then completed a set of push-ups and sit-ups. She felt alive again. After her work out succession, she felt the energy drain from her tired body. The combined lack of sleep and the workout had drained her. She trudged back to her stone bed and curled up into a ball, her exhaustion carrying her into a deep sleep.

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I hope you enjoyed. I will be posting a new chapter of Life of a Teenager soon.

Thanks so much!

-N. Wolf


	3. Chapter 3

I believe this is the longest chapter so far in this story, which is good! The story needed a beefy chapter to give it some depth.

Anyway, I don't have much to say this time.

Enjoy!

I DO NOT OWN THE TEEN TITANS!

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The door threw open and entered three Citadel guards. Each was equipped with long poles that were held together by a small metal collar, which Starfire immediately recognized as electric poles, which were used to control the prisoner that it was used on. A guard stepped forward, revealing a pair of handcuffs. "_Hold still, or we will restrain you." _The guard droned. Starfire hesitated, but slowly made her way to the guard and raising up her arms. The guard nodded and cuffed them tightly around her wrists. The two guards with poles extended, attaching the collars of the poles around her neck, and securely fastening them. "_Move."_ The middle guard said and she complied, moving forward through rows of cells and cages.

She arrived in a large, metal room. The room was all white. Bright lights illuminating the room in neon blindness. In the corner of the white room sat an elongated stable, holding all sorts of different tools and weapons, rusted and covered in layers of blood. A small platform laid carefully in the center, where the guards push her toward. The platform was once a beautiful white quartz, but now was smothered in blood that layered the fine rock. A small chair stood erect in the center of the platform, awaiting its next victim to take a seat. Starfire dragged her feet as she was pushed ever closer to the chair. When she finally neared, the guards slowly pushed her onto the platform. The two guards holding her poles approached the platform until Starfire was fully on. They released the poles and un-hooked her so she could stand freely. She stood silently, trying desperately not to freak out. The leading guard uncuffed her and stood back. "_Sit!" _The guard commanded. Starfire nervously sat down on the cold chair. The chair immediately sprung to life, grabbing her arms and legs and pulling them into the chair. Her limbs were latched tightly to the hard, metal chair. It moaned as she sat pale-faced, awaiting her first "session". She knew from experience that they would first torture her for information about Tamaran, Then they would torture her just for the for the fun of it. It's just how the Citadel worked.

The main guard grinned and approached the chair. "_So, Princess…I have questions for you." _The guard snaked around her and examined her body. _"You are very beautiful. Such a shame that I have to destroy such a beautiful creature." _The guard marveled. "_Let me tell you my nickname. They call me the Breaker, so you can call me that if you wish." _The guard introduced himself. Starfire glared at him, saying nothing. Breaker frowned. "_You know it's not very polite to not introduce yourself. Here, let me start over." _Breaker smiled and brought a small controller. "_My name is the Breaker, what is yours?" _He asked. Starfire narrowed her eyes, refusing to give in. Breaker sighed. "_I knew a troq was stubborn, but I never expected such stubbornness from a princess." _Breaker took the controller and pressed a button. Immediately the chair sprung to life again, sending large pulses of energy through her. Her body was consumed with searing pain. She screamed out in pain as the energy raced through her body. Breaker pressed another button and the energy flowed away. Starfire sat in pain and looked up to him. "_I'll ask you again. What is your name?" _The Breaker demanded, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Starfire clenched her fists and studied his face. His face showed a mixture of emotions, the predominant was of pure…joy? How could someone feel joy over this much torture and pain? What surprised her the most was that she could see in his eyes the existence of pity. Did this foul creature actually feel sorry for her? "_Koriande'r. I am Koriande'r." _Starfire growled. The alien grinned and lifted her chin with one clammy finger. "_Now was that so hard?" _Breaker charmed maliciously. Starfire grinded her teeth and shook his hand away. Breaker smiled and approached the table. "_So, Koriande'r, as you know, I am your "interrogator", so I will be charged with finding out all of your deepest secrets." _Breaker droned_. _He turned to face her, and smiled. "_However…you will find my methods of torture to be more "interesting" than your previous time spent here. I find droning on and on over pointless questions is just a way of time." _Breaker added, examining a small box full of sharp knives. "_The Citadel can be so boring with their endless questions, and I hate it." _He expressed grimly. Starfire looked up and spoke. "_Are guards not supposed to be loyal to their bosses?" _Starfire asked. Breaker smiled and picked up a small glass container filled with poison. "_I serve loyalty only to myself. I may work here, but I only see one purpose in obtaining an occupation here." _Breaker stated. "_And what would that be?" _Starfire questioned. Breaker grinned happily. "_Entertainment. I care not if it's watching my fellow guards die or torturing you. It is…entertaining." _Starfire's hung to every word he said. This creature cared only for watching or causing the suffering of others. She cringed slightly. This thing was absolutely horrific. Breaker studied a small hatchet as he spoke. "_My sole purpose is to be entertained." _He grinned widely, showing off his revolting sharp teeth. "_Now let us begin with show."_ He turned to face her, holding the small hatchet in his left hand. He walked around her, grazing her with the flat head of the hatchet. "_Tell me…what is the battle plans for your planet?" _Breaker questioned. "_I remember you saying that you hate asking questions?" _Starfire replied, confused. "_As much as I hate these damn questions, I will get no entertainment without fulfilling my job. Now about my question…" _Breaker answered. When she refused to answer, he brought the hatchet up and laid it gently against her cheek. "_What was your friend's names? The Teen Titans?"_ Starfire's heart stopped beating. "_Have you ever considered how we knew where you were? It would be so unfortunate to see something bad happen to them." _He continued. Starfire started to shake lightly with fear. She had to decide, whether to protect her friends or her home planet. Tears started to fill her eyes. She wouldn't endanger her friends. But how could she abandon her planet? Breaker grinned, removing the hatchet. "_Didn't think I would hit a nerve. Already breaking troq? I guess_-"He was interrupted when another Citadel guard ran up to him. "_The Warden calls for the Princess. It is time for the auction." _The guard ordered. Breaker sighed and placed the hatchet on the table. With a click of a button, he released her from the latches of the chair. He re-cuffed her and lifted her chin up. "_See you soon, Koriande'r." _Breaker smiled and handed her over the guard. He nodded and Starfire was escorted away from the torturer. When she turned to look back at him, he was softly laughing to himself. This thing was insane.

Robin spent the entire morning reading over records in the Titans library. The whole team was working non-stop to find out where Starfire had been taken to. Barely any of them had spoken since last night, with little rest. Each of them were taking shifts between sleeping, only sleeping a few hours and then returning to work. As much as they wanted to get rest, they couldn't stop until they had completed their mission, to find Starfire. Robin barely slept. When his shift came, he would only sleep an hour and then return to work. No matter how much the others told him to get some rest, he refused. Now, he read over alien records. He had examined records over any alien lifeform that could have any connections to Tamaranians. His main goal was to find any species that had some connection to Tamaranians. He had been examining over hundreds of specie, when he heard footsteps running into the library. He looked up to see an exhausted Beastboy. He had been helping Cyborg examine all the evidence in Starfire's room, spending most of the night as a bloodhound and collecting evidence. "Robin, we found something." Beastboy gasped. Robin nodded and the two ran down to the labs, where Cyborg and Raven awaited them.

"What did you find?" Robin asked. "I have been looking over the DNA samples and I think I know who kidnapped Starfire." Cyborg answered. "You do? Well, who was it?!" Robin questioned frantically. Cyborg rubbed his neck. "I have been comparing the DNA to different criminals. So far, all of the human candidates have been confirmed negative. However…" Cyborg paused. "When compared to alien DNA, it matched to only one species." Cyborg continued. "The DNA matched to Gordainian DNA." Cyborg concluded. Robin clenched his fists. These were the same aliens that imprisoned Starfire before she joined the Titans. He remembered Starfire telling him about her past and all of her horrible experiences. "Are you alright, man?" Cyborg asked. Robin looked up to his team, all of them staring worryingly at him. Robin sighed. "Do you guys know who these aliens are?" Robin questioned. The others nodded simultaneously, remembering Starfire tell them all about her past. "Dude, do you think they did this just for revenge from when Starfire escaped?" Beastboy asked, eyes wide. "That would make sense. Although, they don't seem like the type of guys to do it." Cyborg replied. "Your right, Cy. These aliens are mercenaries. Someone must have paid them to do this." Robin agreed. "You don't think…" Raven gasped. Robin nodded. "This had to have been them." Beastboy and Cyborg and Beastboy exchanged worried glances while Robin rested his hands on the table. "This was the Citadel." Robin concluded.

Starfire was escorted helplessly into a dark corridor. It held only a small bench for her to sit on. The guards waited patiently for their orders. They talked quietly to each other while Starfire sat silently on the small bench. She thought of Earth, her home. Although she was raised on Tamaran, she felt like she had a real home on Earth with the Teen Titans. Only on Earth has she ever felt truly alive and free, especially with her friends. Tears moved slowly down her face as she thought of her friends. Watching Beastboy and Cyborg play the video games. Performing meditation with Raven. Sitting on the roof with Robin. All of the happy moments and experiences she had with her friends. The Titans had given her a family when she lost her own. She loved them all dearly, especially Robin. She could barely help from sobbing, knowing very well she may never see them again.

She closed her eyes and remembered the last night on Earth before her capture. She was watching the sunset with Robin, like they had done every night. She found herself wanting to go back in time, to stop that moment and live in it forever. She never wanted to leave those last minutes she spent with him.

She took in a deep breath and wiped her tears away. She had to be strong. She couldn't just break down and cry in front of the guards. She had to keep trying to find a way out. She had to keep hoping, for her own sake. Starfire looked down at her hands and clenched them. She had to fight, she had to escape. That was the only way to see Earth, her friends, and Robin again.

The guards immediately stood attention as the warden and his guardians approached. The warden strode over to her and grinned. "_It is time, Koriande'r of Tamaran, for your auction." _ The warden yelled a command in Gordainian and the guards filed evenly behind her, escorting her forward into the corridor. When they pushed passed a large iron door, they entered a world of chaos. She had entered a room larger than anything she had ever seen. It extended at least 50ft long in every direction. It was a very ornate and furnished building, with jeweled seats and couches for the buyers that sat below her. She stood atop a steel stage, where the slaves and sellers were to stand. The buyers and masters stood at the bottom, biding and buying out any prisoner they thought was worthy. She was escorted past the stage and onto the steps below it, pushed into a fence like cage, and stood with 5 others awaiting their auction. The warden and his guardians made their way behind the crowd and sat quietly in a closed off area, waiting to watch the auction unfold. Her heart raced as she tried desperately to calm down, to no avail. She knew that once she was sold away, her friends may never find her. She held back her tears and tried to focus. She turned to look at her fellow slaves, who all wore her same expression. They were all of different races and species, some she never had seen before. They all looked to be of male gender and very large warriors, most likely prisoners of their own war. She turned away and tried to examine the room for any escape. She frantically examined the room, looking for any sign of escape, which was futile. She studied the exits and found several guards stationed at each. She knew even without handcuffs, she would still have little chance of getting past them. She knew very well that Grodainians are extremely fierce fighters and can outmatch even Tamaranians. She kept searching the area for anything that could be of use, when she heard an unknown silence envelop the room. The auctioneer heading this bidding approached the stage and cleared his throat. "_Let the bidding begin!" _He boomed. The building remained quite as he brought up the first prisoner. Each prisoner was accompanied by large amounts of yelling and then the booming voice of the auctioneer yelling "_Sold!" _to the buyer. After only about 30 minutes, it was finally Starfire's turn. "_For our last possession to be sold we have a special prisoner. She is a beautiful, Tamaranian warrior, with the special ability to fly and throw starbolts. This is Koriande'r, Princess of Tamaran!" _The auctioneer boomed. Starfire was dragged up the stairs as bids were yelled frantically. Bids ranging from 500 to 10,000 were thrown at her. During all of this, Starfire stared blankly at them. She felt useless, unable to find a way to escape or any way to fight back. No matter how hard she tried to focus, reality kept creeping up on her. She wanted to fade away, to disappear behind the crowd and just fly away. She held her tears back and tried to keep her mind busy by focusing on the crowd.

She examined the buyers that laid before her. Most of them wore jewelry and looked to own entire planets. Some had body guards while others stood alone, weapons holstered to their belts. Her eye caught on one particular buyer who stood in the crowd silently watching the biding rise. This figure wore a dark cloak, making it unable for Starfire to identify who it was. However from the height and stature of these individual, they looked to be quite tall compared to the others. Starfire felt a familiarity to the character, something she could not quite identify. She turned away from the character and focused on the bidding. Whoever was to win, that buyer would officially own her, and could take her anywhere in the galaxy, making it impossible for her friends to find her. She had to pray to X'hal that whoever won would stay at the Citadel for at least a few months, which could give her enough time for her to contact her friends. She held in her distress and put on an emotionless face. Yet, she still could not hide the fear in her eyes.

The bidding raged on for what seemed like forever. It was officially between two main buyers, one was an obese creature with many tentacle like arms. And the other looked to be a Gordainian mercenary leader. _"500,000!" _The Gordainian yelled. _"500,500!" _The obese creature's translator screamed. Finally, the bidding halted on 600,000 with the Gordainian winning. _"600,000 going once…" _The auctioneer boomed, Starfire's heart stopped beating. "_Going twice…" _The auctioneer continued as Starfire shut her eyes tightly, tears starting to spill over

her face. Before the Warden could finish, another voice emerged from the crowd. "_1,000,000." _The building became silent as the voice approached the stage. Everyone stared at the cloaked figure, the one that caught Starfire's eye, emerged from the crowd. The auctioneer stared in awe of the cloaked figure and cleared his voice. "_1,000,000 going once…" _ He started. "_Going twice…" _He continued. When the crowd refused to reply, he finished. "_Sold! To our lovely guest here!" _The auctioneer yelled. When he finished the bidding, he turned to the figure. "_Now, my friend, you may take your prize!" _The auctioneer motioned to Starfire as the figure approached. The cloaked figure examined Starfire and slowly pulled down her hood. Starfire watched carefully as the black hood slid down behind the figures head. Her heart dropped and her eyes widened as her mind started to register who this figure was. "...Komande'r…" Starfire gasped. The figure grinned and looked up. "Hello, Sister."

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I hope this chapter turned out okay. It took me forever to get it just right. I think the torturer is my favorite character that I have ever written so far. He was really fun to write about and I based him off one of my favorite anime characters (The Crimson Alchemist, from Fullmetal Alchemist- Brotherhood. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it!). He also kind of reminds me of Joker in a way, which is cool because I love Joker!

Anyway, please review!

Thanks for reading!

_-N. Wolf_


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for being patient everyone! So finally, here's the new chapter!

Enjoy!

I DO NOT OWN THE TEEN TITANS!

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Starfire couldn't comprehend what had just happened. She wanted desperately to just close her eyes and wake up in her bed at the Titans Tower, where she could enjoy another day on Earth with her friends and Robin. She tried on countless times to shut her eyes and will herself to wake. Yet, whenever she opened her eyes, her surroundings never changed and she was still imprisoned in the Citadel. Even now, as the guards drag her to her sister's quarters, she barely registered what her sister had just done. Her own blood bought her as a possession. She knew her sister was crazy, from the time she had almost been sent to the Citadel when her sister arrived on Earth, yet she never knew her sister could commit such a cruel and heartless action against her.

As she was dragged deeper into the Citadel, she stared emptily at her sister, who walked in front of the group. As much as she wanted to hate her sister, she felt gratitude for her as well. How different her situation would have been if her sister had not beaten the other betters and won the auction. Starfire would have been halfway across the galaxy, with no chance of her friends ever finding her. She would have died a slave to some galactic crime lord. She couldn't imagine the idea of losing the chance to see her friends again. For that reason alone, she felt the need to thank her sister. Although she would most likely regret those words later on, she knew it was worth it for the small chance that her friends ever would rescue her.

The guards pulled Starfire into a large room that was dimly lit by a grand fireplace and ordained with nice furniture. _"You are dismissed. Leave us be." _Blackfire commanded the guards. The guards bowed and left quickly, leaving only Starfire and Blackfire in the large room. Blackfire sat on a large, velvet couch and grinned. _"Take a seat."_ She motioned for Starfire to sit on across from her on another couch._ "So, Koriande'r, how are you enjoying your stay here? Is it pleasant?" _Blackfire asked sardonically. Starfire looked up at her. _"Komande'r….why would you work with these monsters? Why….why are you doing this?" _Starfire cried. Blackfire shook her head. _"I won't tell you anything until the Warden arrives. In due time, sister, everything will become clear…" _She said unsympathetically.

Minutes passed, then the Warden pushed into the room. He yelled commands to his guards in Gordainian and motioned for a few staying within the room, and the others waiting outside for him. He smiled and took a seat in front of the two princesses. _"Good evening, Komande'r. I assume you waited for me before you started to fill in our friend here with information." _ Blackfire nodded. _"Indeed. I shall now begin." _Blackfire paused and stared intensely at Starfire. _"As you may know, Koriande'r, I was taken to the Citadel when my plan failed back on Earth. I was imprisoned for a month. To gain my freedom, I was the one who gave the Citadel information on your whereabouts, telling them everything I knew about you and the Teen Titans." _She laughed happily. Starfire's heart dropped into her stomachs. She was kidnapped and torn from Earth and her friends just because of her sister's greed and selfishness. She clenched her eye tightly and stared down at the floor. Her sister grinned and continued. _"I have made a deal with the Citadel. If I provide them with information on Tamaran, kidnap you and buy you at the auction, I will keep my freedom and be treated as a noble. These plans have worked perfectly so far, as you may have seen." _Blackfire explained. Tears threatened to fall down Starfire's face as she tried desperately to stay emotionless. _"The final part of our plan shall be simple. You will be kept as a slave under Komande'r, and you will continue to be questioned and interrogated for information on Tamaran. And after you provide us with the information we need, you will be shipped away to work for the Citadel as a slave. That is all the information we will provide you, for now." _The Warden stood up and yelled commands to his Gordanian guards, which busted through the doors and restrained Starfire. _"Do not take it personally, sister. You are just the pawn that will help us win the game." _Blackfire laughed. Starfire narrowed her eyes. _"Even if you kill me, I will never tell you anything!" _She yelled. The Warden grinned as Starfire was dragged away. _"You will in due time. Everyone has a breaking point. We just have to break you." _He laughed a low groaning gurgle in the back of his throat.

Starfire was thrown into her cell and when the door clicked shut, she collapsed onto the floor. She cried until her breath became ragged and her eyes stung with the salty tears. Her mind clouded with the memories of home. She was only kidnapped 2 days ago, but it felt like a million years had passed. She remembered all the wonderful things on Earth, her friends, all the Teen Titans, and Robin. All she wanted to do was to see them again. She clenched her fists and sat on her knees. She stared up at the blank ceiling and tears gathered in her eyes again. "You can't stop fighting, Koriande'r…." She mumbled to herself. "I won't give up!" She muttered. "I will make a promise to everyone I know. The Teen Titans, my friends, Robin. I won't ever give up. I will see you again. I will escape. I promise…" She gasped. She stood up and crumpled up into a ball on her bed. "I promise, they will not break me." She whispered and drifted off into a deep sleep.

"You know what that means then…" Cyborg stated. Robin nodded and looked down at the floor. Starfire had told all the team about her past, including detail experience about her time spent in the galactic prison. "Are you sure that it was them? Star said her people have a lot of enemies. How can we be sure it was them?" Beastboy asked. "We won't be 100% sure of who hired the Gordanians. But the Citadel is the only ones that have a motive…Starfire told us she was one of the only prisoners to escape." Raven explained. Robin looked at his team and nodded. "Then it's settled. We need to go to the Citadel." He said. Cyborg looked wide-eyed at his friend. "Whoa, wait a minute. Do you expect us to just barge in without a plan? Starfire explained to us that this is one of the highest security prisons in all of the galaxy." Robin narrowed his eyes. "We can't just sit here and do nothing, we already have a suspect on who took her. The longer we take, the longer Starfire has to be in that place." He growled. "I'm not saying we don't do anything. I just want to go in prepared. Starfire would not want us to get hurt trying to break her out." Cyborg replied. "Robin, we all know how much you want to get her back. We all want to get her back as quick as possible. But we won't accomplish anything without a plan." Raven agreed. Robin sighed and nodded. "Okay, well let's start by planning how we are getting there." Cyborg turned to the screen and pressed a few buttons, revealing the T-Ship. "We can use the T-Ship. She can get us farther than any other space craft could. Only problem is, how do we get there? I'm pretty sure a prison like this would not be on the map." A silence enveloped the group. Starfire never told them how to get there. "Well it's not like we could ask the Gordanains where it is….So who's got any other ideas." Beastboy groaned. Cyborg perked up and grinned. "Actually, that could work. Great idea, grass stain!" Cyborg cheered. "Thanks! Wait, what!? Dude, I was joking!" Beastboy yelled. "But it could work. If anyone knows where the Citadel is, it's a Gordanian." Robin agreed. "How are we going to ask a Gordainian about the Citadel? We can't just go and talk to one." Raven stated. "We're not just going to ask one. We're going to capture one and force him to tell us." Robin grinned. "That's a good idea but there is one flaw. As far as we know, there aren't any Gordanian's left on Earth. How are we going to find one?" Cyborg added. "Couldn't we just go and find one? We could use the T-Ship to fly into space, find a Gordanian ship, and capture one of them." Beastboy suggested. "Yeah but how would we find one? We have no information on any Gordanian ships near Earth nor can we just go wondering into space, hoping to find one randomly. There has to be a more efficient way." Raven explains. "If only there was some way to attract one here…" Cyborg pondered. Robin thought deeply about their predicament. He looked up and sighed. "There's another way." He said. The team stared at their leader with interest. "What other way?" Beastboy asked. "The Gordanians are mercenaries. I bet most of their species is only looking to make a quick buck." Robin paced slowly around the room. "Well, yeah. But what does that have to do with our current situation?" Cyborg questioned. "I would assume that the Gordanian's will complete any job to make money." Robin trailed on. "Get to the point, Robin." Raven barked. Robin looked at his team and took a deep breath. "We have to get the Gordainian's to raid our ship."

Starfire awoke to the loud bang of the metal door flinging open. She was rushed and tackled to the ground, where 3 guards tried to restrain her. She fought back, punching and kicking the guards with all of her strength. One guard flew against the wall as he was hit by the impact of a Tamaranian punch, while the other two cuffed Starfire and attached her to the shock poles again. When she was finally tired out, the guards brushed themselves off and dragged her down the hall and into the torture chamber, where The Breaker awaited her.

He laid comfortably against the wall when she was thrown into the chair and restrained by the metal latches of the cold torture chair. When she posed no threat, he grinned and approached her. _"Good evening, Koriande'r." _He smiled menacingly. She stared coldly at him. His eyes lit up with rage. _"Are you not forgetting to say good evening back?" _He snarled. His rage subsided as he drew out the controller. He pressed the middle button and the chair lit up with electricity, sending jolts of pain throughout Starfire's body. She screamed in pain until he pressed the button again, stopping the shocks of electricity and causing the pain to dull. _"Let's try again. Good evening, Koriande'r" _he growled. Starfire looked to the ground and grit her teeth. When she still remained silent, Breaker sighed and pressed the button again. Again, the pain shot through her body and she screamed in agony as he pressed the button to stop the pain after a few seconds. _"We could do this all night, troq. Now, again, good evening, Koridande'r" _Breaker sneered. She clenched her fists and shook her head. _"I will not acknowledge anything to you. You are not my ally, nor should I be polite to you!" _She yelled. He examined her and smiled. He started to chuckle softly, but then busted into a hysterically fit. She looked confusingly toward him as him clutched his chest and fell to the floor in a fit of laughter. _"What is funny about my words?" _She asked. He glanced up and dulled his laughter for a few seconds to speak. _"You think you are too good to speak to me, do you not?" _He laughed. She narrowed her eyes. _"All I mean is that I refuse to give you any kindness." _The Breaker stopped his laughter and cocked his head in silence. He studied her and then pressed the button to activate the chair. Starfire screamed in pain as the Breaker looked at her. He left the chair on and chuckled at her pain. He busted into another fit of laughter as Starfire screamed until her throat ran raw. A loud thundering voice was heard from the door and the Breaker turned the chair off to examine the source of its creation. One of the guards, who immediately regretted his descion to speak out, looked down and shook frantically. He mumbled apologies to the torturer, who narrowed his eyes. The Breaker screamed in fury at the guard, who stepped back frightened. Breaker yelled commands to the other guards, who approached the pale-faced guard hesitantly. They restrained him as he flailed his arms, frantically screaming and struggling to get away. Starfire could make out only make out the words, _"Please!" and "Do not kill me!" _She stared in horror as the Breaker approached the guard with a hot brander. He yelled a few short commands as the guards pushed the panicked guard to the ground and sat him on his knees. Breaker jabbed the hot metal against the scaly skin of the Gordanian guard. The guard screamed in agony as the hot metal seared into his skin. Starfire couldn't look away from the horrific site. The Breaker pulled the metal swiftly away and left the guards faced halfway burned. Starfire became nauseas at the retched burn. The guard continued to scream as the other guards dragged him outside and down the hall. The Breaker shrugged and sighed, returning to Starfire. _"I apologize for that interruption. The ignorance of that guard had to be punished." _He stated. Starfire stared wide-eyed at the creature that sat before him. Al she could really think about, was what this thing could do to her. She looked down and tried to hide her fear from showing in her expression. She bit her inner lip and looked up to the maniac that stood before her. _"Why…What did he say?" _She asked quietly. The Breaker grinned and lifted up her chin with his slimy, green hand. _"He spoke out and said I should not kill you." _He turned around and breathed in happily. _"But what was worse, he interrupted the song of pain. And no one should interrupt that." _He chuckled. He bellowed out commands and 3 more guards appeared out of thin air. They cuffed Starfire and pulled her to the door. Before they could leave, Breaker stopped them and approached Starfire. He closed in and whispered into her ear. _"I know now, that I am going to have so much fun breaking you." _He returned to the table and hummed a soft melody. It was a verse from a classic Tamaranian lullaby. Starfire mentally translated the verse in her head. _"X'hal calls to you, my sleeping child. She is always watching you. Honor her, my sleeping child. And she shall wait for you, forever." _ He repeated the verse over and over again, even long after Starfire had been dragged away.

Robin sat in a small black room. He couldn't remember where he was nor why he was here. He gathered his bearings. The room was dingy and dark, only having small lights above a cold, silver chair. "Why is there only a chair-"He pondered as he noticed who sat before him. Locked in the latches of the chair, sat Starfire. His heart stopped beating as he examined her. She sat wearily on the chair, her expression holding no sign of joy that she would normally have. Her face held a hopeless expression. "Starfire!" He screamed her name. She didn't reply, only staring absently-mindedly to the floor. "Starfire! It's me, Robin!" He yelled as he ran to her. He hadn't ran more than 2 feet before he smashed into an unknown object. He placed his hands along it and noticed it was a wall of glass. His breathed quickened as he rammed his shoulder into the glass. "STARFIRE!" He screamed. She jolted her head up. His breathing stopped to her reply. She said nothing, only turning to the now open door. He face paled as a figure walked in. He stood at about 6 feet tall and strode into the room. He smiled at Starfire as he greeted her. When he spoke, he spoke in Tamaranian. Robin couldn't understand most of his phrases, but he did catch a few words from his lessons with Starfire. The man spoke down to Starfire as she whimpered a few short phrases. Robin had never seen what pure fear had looked like. But now, he saw it coursing throughout her face. This man had clearly achieved making her scared, and Robin could barely stand there watching the scene unfold. "Starfire!" He yelled as he banged against the glass. Neither responded as he banged as hard as he could against the glass. He reached to his belt and tried to pull out an explosive, but then he noticed he had no belt. In fact, he had only been wearing his uniform, without any weapons of any kind. His body attacked the glass and he used all of his strength to at least crack the glass, to no avail. After a few minutes, the man pulled out a small device and clicked the center button. Starfire immediately started screaming in pain as electricity surged through her body. "STARFIRE!" Robin screamed until his throat ran raw. His heart shattered into thousands of pieces when he heard her scream his name. He crumpled to his knees and tears fell from his face. He screamed until his throat was raw, but still had no reaction.

Robin jolted awake and fell out of his bed and onto the hard ground. He groaned and rubbed his temples. A thin layer of sweat had enveloped his body and dripped from his hair. His breath came out ragged and rushed as he laid his head in his hands. "It was only a dream." He whispered. He stood up and walked out of his room, stumbling into the living room. He noticed that the lights were on and Raven sat calmly on the couch, drinking herbal tea. He approached her and sighed. "Raven?" He asked. She turned to him and took a sip of her tea. "I heard you screaming. You had a nightmare about her, didn't you?" She questioned. Robin stood back and looked down at his feet. He slowly nodded and took a seat on the couch. "Did you wake up to check on me or what?" He asked. She shrugged and looked down at her drink. "You're not the only one who has nightmares, Robin." She mumbled. Robin turned away and shut his eyes. "Any chance your nightmare was about her?" He asked. She nodded and looked sternly at him. "What was it about?" She questioned hesitantly. Robin gulped and balled his fists. "I was behind a glass wall. I tried breaking the wall down, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't even dent the glass. I saw a man torture her and…." He trailed off. She lightly placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not going to tell you that everything is going to be alright." She placed her tea down turned her body to face him fully. "We have no idea what they are doing to her at the Citadel." She proclaimed. She squeezed his shoulder. "I will tell you not to give up hope. We both know Starfire well enough to know that she will continue to hope and wait for us. So why should we give up on her?" She stated. She smiled and let go of his shoulder. "I know you will do anything to get her back. I want you to know that I'm willing to do anything to get her back home." She assured him. Robin nodded and stood up. "Thanks, Raven." He said as he walked to the hallway. Before he left, he turned to her. "What about your nightmare? Do you want to talk about it?" He asked. She looked down and balled her fists. "All I will say is that our dreams weren't that much different." She stood up and approached him. "The only difference between our dreams, is that mine is not a nightmare. It's a vision." She breathed. Robin clenched his eyes shut and grit his teeth. "All the more reason to find her, and bring her back." He growled. Raven stopped him and pulled him back. "Don't let your anger fuel your decisions, Robin. It will only cause more harm than good." She let him go and returned to her spot on the couch. He opened his mouth to retort, but silenced himself and returned to his room. He sat at his desk and looked at all of his pictures. He picked up the one with him and Starfire and rubbed his thumb over the picture. "I will never give up on you." He whispered. He stood up and raised his head to the ceiling. "Wherever you are, I will find you. And I'm going to bring you back home, Star. I promise." He stated with determination.

* * *

Sorry about neglecting this story a little bit. I've been super busy with school and revising my other story. So thank you for being patient and understanding.

I hoped you have enjoy! Please Review!

-_N. Wolf_


	5. Chapter 5

This one is short, but I'm planning on making the next chapter at least double the size of this one. Hope you all enjoy!

I DO NOT OWN THE TEEN TITANS!

* * *

Robin stayed awake the entire night, either waking from the constant nightmares or the nervousness of the next day. Cyborg would boot up the T-Ship and they would fly out into space, trying to draw the attention of a Gordainian ship and maybe be able to capture a Gordainian. The risks were massive, but the reward was priceless. A Gordainian had to know where the Citadel was. If they could find the location of the space prison, they would be one step closer to rescuing Starfire. When the sun rose above the horizon that morning, he stumbled up to the roof and plopped onto the cool concrete of the roof. He watched the sun make its way over the horizon, producing an orange glow that contrasted to the deep blues and purples of the early morning sky. He wiped his tired eyes and tilted his head back to look at the stars, still visible in the morning sky. He recalled Starfire looking up to the stars the night before she was taken away. He remembered her saying the stars were the same as the ones on Tamaran. He had burned the night into his mind since her capture, and remembered the night accurately. All he wanted to do was to go back in time and live in that moment forever. He wanted to hear her voice, kiss her lips, and see her bright smile again. He only prayed that their plan for today would work. He couldn't bare to live in a world without Starfire by his side. As he made his way to the metal door of the rooftop, he looked back up and studied the stars one more time. "I hope you're seeing these stars, Starfire. There the one thing that I hope you still have of Earth." He whispered. "I hope when you look up at the stars, you will think of me. Because I'm thinking of you too." He states and he exits through the door and out to his room.

The night before, Robin ordered all of the Titans to pack for the trip into space, since they had no idea how long it would take to find a Gordainian ship. While they were gone, Robin called Titans East to have them watch Jump while they were gone. When Robin entered his room, 2 suitcases were set neatly by his desk. He silently gathered his suitcases and carried them to the hangar where the others were waiting for him.

After Tokyo, Cyborg decided to rebuild the T-Ship. He added a kitchen, 5 cabins, and 2 bathrooms as well as a Headquarters for all of the daily operations and mission details. The T-Ship was also upgraded in weapons and armor, making it the perfect ship to fly around space in. "Is everyone ready?" Cyborg asked, carrying his suit cases under his arms. "I think we're all set, Cy." Beastboy replied. "Alright, let's load up. If any of you want to grab a snack or anything before we go, you better do it now." Cyborg said as he jumped up into his pod and dropped his suitcase off in his cabin. The others did the same and branched off into each of their separate rooms. Starfire's room was left untouched.

Robin dropped off his suitcases and started unpacking. He put away his clothes and gently uncovered a photo that was gently placed on top of his equipment. It was the photo of Starfire and Robin at the park. He thumbed the edges of the picture and gently placed it at the corner of his night stand. "Hey, Robin! We're about to take off!" He heard Cyborg call. Robin sighed and left his room and headed to Headquarters.

"Buckle yourselves in. We're about to take off." Cyborg ordered. The HQ was split into multiple pods, each pertaining to one specific Titan. Robin's was in the center while the others circled around him in the order of Cyborg, Beastboy, Raven, and Starfire. Each pods was only big enough to fit two occupants and a control panel. In case of emergency, the pods could detach from the rest of the ship. As Robin settled into his pod, he picked up the headset and placed it over his head, hearing his teammates test their microphones. "Can you guys hear me?" Cyborg stated. "Hear you loud and clear, Cy!" Beastboy replied. "I think all of our mics are working. What about you, Robin?" Raven asked. "I hear you. Are we ready to take off?" Robin replied. "Just about. Countdown will start whenever you are, Robin." Cyborg explained. Robin nodded to himself and flicked on his control panel. The whole shipped rumbled as life was breathed through the metallic body. "How's everything doing?" Robin asked. "I've got a green light!" Beastboy replied. "I'm online." Raven stated. "We're all clear, Robin!" Cyborg stated. "Start the counter." Robin said as he started the ignition. The engine purred and sprung to life as the T-Ship started counting down the launch time. "Launch in t-minus 10, 9, 8…" The mechanical voice stated. Robin buckled his seatbelt and braced himself for takeoff. "7, 6, 5…" The machine recited. "This is it guys!" Beastboy stated enthusiastically. "Let's kick some alien butt, Titans!" Cyborg cheered. "4, 3…" Robin let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. Starfire was all he ever thought of anymore. He remember how hopeful and happy she could be. That's the one thing loved the most about her. He smiled to himself and opened his eyes, speaking one last order into the mic. "Let's bring her back, Titans!" He stated enthusiastically. "2, 1….PREPARE FOR TAKEOFF!" The T-Ship roared and propelled itself out of the hangar, shooting through the California morning sky. The T-Ship left the Tower as it shot into space, leaving Jump and everything else behind it.

Starfire had only been in the Citadel for about a week, but it felt like years due to the torture and work. After her sister had bought her at the auction, Blackfire required her to meet the typical slave standards. Starfire had to hand wash her only pair of clothing, the one she was currently wearing, as well as washing all of the nobles that were in the Citadel's clothing. She also had to work in the shipyard with all of the other slaves. Due to her species immense strength, she strenuously unloaded all of the cargo that would arrive from new ships, as well as keep the ships well stocked in fuel, meaning she had to haul gigantic barrels of ship fuel. It was painstaking, requiring every ounce of energy out of her, even with her boost of strength. And the torture wreaked havoc on her already weakened body. The Breaker didn't hold back. He unleashed all of his fury against Starfire, doing everything he could to try to get information out of her.

As Starfire sprawled across her bed after a long day of work, she thought of her friends. The hope that they would come to find her dwindled every day she was imprisoned. But she knew she couldn't give up. From the time she first met her friends, each one of them had taught her some many things. Out of all the things that they taught, it was one lesson that Robin had taught her in training one day that really stuck with her. It was almost a month before Tokyo, and the two were training early in the morning one day. Starfire was dodging one of Robin's birdarangs, and charged toward him. He effortlessly dodged her attack and drew his staff. She flew high above him and pelted him with starbolts, each of them he weaved through until he got behind a pillar and waited for Starfire to fly around to face him. Once she flew and faced him, he released a smoke bomb and grappled up the pillar. Starfire was blinded and tackled to the ground. When Robin pinned her to the ground, he grinned as she tried to wiggle out of his grasp. "I pinned you. What are you going to do?" He asked. Starfire looked up into his mask and shook her head. "There is nothing I can do, Robin. You have defeated me." She sighed. He shook his head. "You can't just give up like that. You need to find a way to get up." Robin stated. Starfire cocked her head in confusion. "But this is only a spar, and you have obviously won. Are you not supposed to let me up?" She asked. He frowned. "Star, if I was a criminal, I wouldn't let you up. Pretend if I am a criminal. What would you do to free yourself?" He explained. Starfire studied his words and she nodded. "I suppose if you are a criminal, I would shoot star bolts from my eyes. That would force you off of me and then I could then in turn restrain you." She exclaimed. Robin smiled and rolled off her, jumping to his feet and offering his hand to her. "There is always a solution to every problem. You just have to strive to find it, in any situation possible." Robin helped her up and his expression turned stoic. "Promise me, that no matter how hopeless a situation feels, you will never give up." Starfire looked up into his mask and nodded. "I promise, Robin." She stated. He smiled and raced ahead of her. "Good. So how about one more round?" He asked impishly. She smiled and raced after him.

Starfire smiled as she recalled the fond memory. She heard the door slam open as the guards raced in and restrained her for her next interrogation. She resisted, but in the end, after several minutes of struggling against the guards, she complied with their wishes and allowed them to take her to the torture chamber. However, even though she complied, she knew wouldn't break without a fight. She needed to keep her word to Robin.

Starfire was thrust into the metal chair once again, The Breaker looking on as the guards backed away slowly and stood attention at the sides of the white room. When all became silent, The Breaker smirked and approached Starfire, a devilish grin outstretching his face._ "Hello Koriande'r." _Starfire said nothing, only stared silently at the floor. The Breaker didn't hesitate, and with a click the chair came to life and shot pain throughout her fragile body. She screamed, her wailing filling the once silent room. After an eternity passed, relief flowed through her body as the chair became dormant again. The Breaker narrowed his eyes, his rage piercing through his eyes. _"How many times does it take? How much longer will it take before it gets through your thick skull, troq!" _The Breaker turned to her again and heaved a loud sigh. _"Let me ask one more time. Hello Koriande'r." _Starfire clenched fists and looked down, the words flowing out of her mouth. _"Hello Breaker…" _As much as she hated her words, her body couldn't take another shock like the last. The Breaker nodded and smiled. _"Good…Now let us begin." _Pulling out a notebook from the desk, The Breaker read it briefly before reciting his daily routine, one that he was forced to recite every day. _"I will ask you a few questions now. What are the locations of the major weapons vaults on Tamaran?" _He droned. Starfire closed her eyes and shook her head. _"I do not know…." _The Breaker growled, obviously not impressed with that answer. _"How can the princess and heir to the Tamaranian throne not know?" _He sighed and shook his head. _"Do I honestly have to threaten you into sharing what you know? Because that is the boring way." _Starfire's expression changed to one of confusion as she looked up. _"The boring way?" _She asked hesitantly. He nodded. _"What's the fun in threatening when you do not uphold to your words? If I was to threaten that Earth would be invaded and taken over if you said nothing, would you really believe me?" _The Breaker stated nonchalantly. Starfire's face paled with the thought. The idea had crossed her mind, but even so, would the Citadel really go to that limit to get information out of her? And if they did invade Earth, how could they know she would really say anything? The Breaker studied her face and smiled slightly. _"What? Do you really think The Citadel would choose to invade such a worthless planet? Surely you cannot think that one of the greatest galactic powers would conquer a dirty rock." _When she said nothing, The Breaker grinned. _"Well, well…I didn't realize you cared so much for it. It's not like Tamaranians have anything to gain from the backwards apes called humans. Yet, The Citadel finds the princess of Tamaran amongst a large grovel of those fat, disgusting pigs."_ Starfire growled with rage, finally being fed up with his words. _"Your vile words speak only the real truth of how cruel The Citadel is. Humans are more capable then you realize, worm." _The Breaker grinned, laying his back against the chair. _"Capable? Those apes aren't even capable of establishing unity within their own planet. Do you really believe that those animals could withstand the onslaught of The Citadel?" _Starfire balled her fists. _"Shut up! You speak vile lies of the humans!" _He chuckled. _"You're very loyal to the humans. I suppose those children you stayed with changed your opinion on them, troq." _Starfire's face paled even whiter with the mention of the Titans. The Breaker grinned. _"What do those apes call them…The Teen Titans? Hah! Such a name would not be given to any real warriors! And you joined them? For being of a warrior blood, who would think such a thing could exist." _The Breaker's eyes gleamed with demonic joy as he continued. _"Let us see, there are 5 of you in total. One is an experimental mutation of an ape mixed with other Earthling creatures. One is the daughter to the ferocious Trygon. One is a mechanical robot who is a disgrace of his ape race. And your leader is an ape who never removes his mask. You have chosen an odd assortment of companions, troq." _Starfire lashed out, rage filling her blood like adrenaline. _"Do not dare insult my companions!" _She screamed. The Breaker smirked. _"Oh, is it a soft subject? Perhaps we should discuss your companions further in the future…" _The Breaker made a note on his note pad and placed it on the table for later. The pan of realization hit Starfire as The Breaker shouted orders in Gordainian. Starfire was unlocked and restrained by the guards and pulled to the exit. Before she was dragged out, the Breaker lifted her chin up, forcing her to stare into his dark purple eyes. Eyes that swirled with a mix of pleasure, boredom, and anger. Eyes that were burned into her mind. _"I will see you soon, Koriande'r" _He let the guards drag her back to her cell, grief filling her heart. Even though she didn't give him any information, Starfire knew that he had beaten her.

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As you may know, I'm a lot busier with school, so it takes me more time to put out chapters, but I'm working it on it. It's difficult balancing school and fan fiction, especially when you take all PreAP and AP classes. Again, I apologize for the long wait, but I promise to continue to post chapters whenever I can.

Thanks for reading!

-_N. Wolf_


	6. Chapter 6

Hello. readers! It's been a while, right? I apologize for the long wait, and I really thank you for your patience

So here's the new chapter. Let's not waste anytime!

I DO NOT OWN THE TEEN TITANS!

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The T-ship soared out of the atmosphere and was pulled into the orbit of the Earth, where the T-ship encircled the planet from afar. "Alright, everyone. Say goodbye to Earth. We won't be seeing it for a while." Cyborg yelled as he pressed a few buttons, which activated the engine of the T-ship and flew the ship out of orbit, shooting far away and leaving Earth far behind.

The ship soared through empty space, and once it was on a specific path, Cyborg clicked on the antigravity field and sat back. "Alright, I've done some research and have predicted some general locations where I think we can start looking for ships." Cyborg explained as he loaded up a large scale map for all the Titans to see. On the map was multiple red dots, marking the locations that Cyborg specified. He pointed to the closest one. "This is the location we will try first, and if it comes up with nothing, we'll try another." He stretched his metal shoulders and sighed. "Alright, auto pilot is on. We'll reach our destination in about an hour. If you guys need to walk around, the gravity field has been activated." Cyborg explained and left his pod, heading to the living room. Beastboy yawned and transformed into a cat, running into the kitchen to grab a snack to eat. Raven slid her headpiece off and made her way to her own room. Robin rested the back of his neck on his chair. He watched the stars zoom by as the ship flew through space. He tried to count them, but failed after reaching 100 when he found the ship was soaring too fast. He sighed and left his pod, heading down into his cabin and fell onto his bed. As much as his body pleaded for him to sleep, his mind kept him wide-awake. He rolled onto his back and stared emptily up at the ceiling.

He felt himself falling. This falling wasn't like usual falling, the one that he experienced every time he soared through the air, felt the wind wrap around him as he neared the ground. This falling wasn't like the one he experienced every time he was with Starfire. It was different, darker, a more frightening feeling. The feeling was overwhelming, dragging him down into the depths of something worse than the insufferable pain of isolation and fear. It was like falling off a cliff, but not knowing when you would hit the ground, nor where. He descended only into an unknowing darkness, one that warped around his body with a cold, lifeless grip. It numbed him deep within his core and soul, and its icy grasp continued to seep into his body. He shook with fraught, fearful of the moment when the numbness may soon reach his heart, and kill him. Or even worse, seep its venomous grip into his heart and turn it into nothing.

"Robin?" He heard Raven's voice appear from his doorway. He turned his head toward her and sighed. "What do you need, Raven?" He mumbled. "Cyborg asked me to bring you into Headquarters. We're about to reach the first location on his map." She explained. "Alright. I'm coming." Robin stated. Raven nodded, and before she left, she turned her head over her shoulder. "Robin…do you need to talk about it?" Raven asked hesitantly. Robin frowned and shook his head. He knew she could sense what he was going through right now. But, as much as he appreciated her care, he didn't want to talk. "No, I'm fine. Let's go." He ordered and hurried out of his room, Raven following right after him.

"Well, everyone, we're about to enter the first general location. We'll check around, and wait for a little bit before moving on to the next location." Cyborg explained as he buckled himself in and steadily slowed the ship to a halt. He maneuvered the ship around to the center of the location and pulled the ship to a complete stop. Once they were halted, he flicked on his headset and spoke into the mic. "Alright, Titans. We need to search the area. By each of your seats, there is a lever. This lever ejects a space drone, one that I invented and loaded into the ship before we left. These will help us investigate each location." Cyborg informed. "Great work, Cy. Alright, Titans. Eject your drones!" Robin ordered as he pulled his lever and allowed a little robot to fly out. Each Titan did the same, and 4 drones appeared underneath the ship. A small screen appeared in front of each pod, each having its own camera attached to each drone. "We'll be searching in a grid pattern for evidence of any ship activity. Each drone has been equipped with sensors that will indicate any alien material found." Cyborg informed as he activated his drone, blue lights shining from within the main frame of the machine. "We'll work in pairs. Cyborg and I will take the northern side of the grid, Raven and Beastboy will take the southern side. Spread out and make sure to check everywhere." Robin ordered, activating his own drone with a bright gold light. Raven and Beastboy activated their own drones with dark violet and green lights, separating away from Cyborg and Robin and headed south. Cyborg and Robin approached each other and both flew together to the northern side of the grid. "I've initiated partner chat now. If Raven and Beastboy find something, they'll reconnect to us. But for now, we can only hear each other." Cyborg stated. "Alright. Let's get to work." Robin ordered and drove his drone forward and started investigating the area.

"So, we're supposed to look for anything suspicious, right?" Beastboy asked. "Yes. Anything you suspect as alien." Raven answered plainly. As the two sideswiped the area with their drones, Beastboy yawned. "How much sleep have you gotten since this all started?" He asked tiredly. "Not much. What about you?" Raven inquired. "I think I have slept a total of 5 hours. Maybe 6." He answered. "If we come up with nothing for this area, it'll take us some time before we can reach the next location. We should get some rest while we have the chance." Raven suggested. "Yeah, you're right. Do you think Robin will get any sleep?" Beastboy asked. "I don't know if he will. But from his emotions, I assume he won't get much rest for a long time…" Raven stated sadly. Beastboy sighed. "I almost forgot that you can feel our emotions…" Raven nodded and sighed. "All the emotions I sense now are always coming from him." Raven replied. "Well, I know I might feel the same thing, especially if the same situation happened for the 2 of us." Beastboy stated. "I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be flattered by that or not." Beastboy chuckled lightly. "I'm not sure I would be flattered by it, either. Man, I can say some stupid stuff!" He berated himself. "Don't be too hard on yourself, Gar. You're a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for." She assured with a rare smile. He smiled and grinned, blushing slightly. "Thanks, Rae. Now I really like this compliment system. It inflates my ego quite a bit!" He laughed. Even though she couldn't see him, he could feel her glare pierce the back of his neck. He grinned and chuckled sheepishly. "We should probably get back to the job at hand, right?" She smirked. "Yes, Gar. Let's get back to it." She stated, allowing the two of them to continue their mission.

"So, this may take a few minutes. Would you like to talk?" Cyborg spoke into his mic after a few moments of silence. "About what?" Robin replied plainly. "Well, do you need to talk about…what's happened…?" Cyborg asked hesitantly. "There's nothing to talk about." Robin growled slightly. "Robin, we both know how this is affecting you. Maybe if you talk it out, it'll help you-"Cyborg suggested but Robin cut him off. "No, I'm fine! Let's just keep our focus on the search, alright?" Robin barked, silencing Cyborg. After another few minutes of silence, Robin sighed. "I'm sorry...it's just..." He trailed off Cyborg nodded. "It's alright. You've been going through a lot lately, and I shouldn't harass you into talking about it." Cyborg elucidated. "No…you're right, though. I guess talking could help. But right now, I just…I can't focus on that right now." Robin explained sadly. "Yeah, I understand. How about after this search, we'll get some rest and clear our minds a little. We all need some." Cyborg suggested. Robin sighed. "Yeah, we should…Thanks, Cy." Robin added. "No problem, Rob. Now let's get back to it!" Robin nodded and the two of them silently continued to search the area.

After an hour of searching, Beastboy groaned. "Hey Rae, I think this place is empty. We've come up with nothing, and we're just about done with the southern area." Raven sighed and nodded. "I think you're right. We should head back to the ship. Let's just hope Cyborg and Robin didn't come up empty like we did." Raven suggested as she reversed her drone and started to make her way back toward the ship, Beastboy following right behind her. Once they made it back, they reconnected communication with Cyborg and Robin. "Did you guys find anything?" Raven asked. "No, nothing. Northern section is empty. What about you?" Cyborg asked. "We've come up empty, Cy. So, this location is a dud then?" Beastboy suggested. Cyborg sighed. "I guess so. Go ahead and deactivate your drones. We'll wait here for any signs of ship activity, then we'll move on. I'll go ahead and start projecting our next course and location." Cyborg explained as he switched off his headset and started planning the next location to search. Beastboy yawned and sighed. "Well, I'm going to take a cat nap. If anyone needs me, I'll be in my cabin." He stated as he too switched his mic off. Before she turned her microphone off, Raven spoke one last time. "We should get some rest too, Robin. For now, it's all we can do." She said.

Once she left, Robin was the last one remaining. He sighed and slid his headphones off, exiting his pod and stumbling towards his room. He softly shut his door behind him and tumbled onto his bed. As if she was there, he could hear Starfire whisper in his head. "Please, you need rest, Robin." He sighed sadly and crawled under his covers. "Alright, Star…I'll try…" He whispered to himself, closing his eyes and tumbled into his sleep.

Starfire peeked her eyes open and yawned, stretching her sore limbs out. She had just come back from a long day of slave work, and now she rested until the time when she needed to attend her interrogation session with the Breaker. She fell off her metal bed and stretched her legs out. As she tried to move, she made a horrible discovery. As she tried to hover in the air, she tumbled back down to the ground, planting on her back. Her eyes widened as she stared at herself in disbelief. "My powers are fading…" She whispered. She almost felt her heart shatter as she heard her words. Due to the lack of energy and emotional distress, her powers were disappearing. Even though she barely flew anymore, it still broke her spirit to lose such a huge part of her life. Her powers were directed from her emotions, and had always been a big piece of her. Without them, it not only felt like she was losing another part of herself to The Citadel, but she also felt herself losing another part of the world she left behind. The world of Earth, the Teen Titans, and her friends. The one she felt was disappearing from her memory as each day passed.

Even though she had only been imprisoned for a week, she could barely remember what real food tasted like. The food she was fed was the trash and waste, the discards that had been left out and served on dirty metal plates, looking like mush. Each day had the same meal; a sliver of half-eaten meat, a mold-encrusted Gordanian fruit that tasted like the apple fruit of Earth, and a rotten piece of some unknown vegetable, one that looked like a combination of a zorkaberry and a carrot from Earth. The tray was always slid underneath her door, and usually at around the same time. Because of the small portions and the lack of anything else to eat, she devoured every part of the meal, no matter how grotesque it looked. It almost always tasted revolting, and the first time she ate the meal she threw up. But that was a luxury she couldn't afford, and she had to eat. The food she consumed here only made her miss the wonderful delicacies of Earth. She especially missed the mustard condiment, the one she would always drink, and the candy of cotton, a sweet dessert that always disappeared in her mouth. She would give anything to have those foods again.

Besides the terrible food, the sanitation of her cell always disturbed her. The walls were always wet from the water that leaked in from the ceiling and were even tinted a shade of green, due to the mold and fungus that grew between the cracks. The only light she ever truly received was from the cracks that lined one of the walls, where the ultra-white light of the halls provided her only source of energy. Being the only energy she received, it was a wonder her powers lasted for so long. The corner of her room was reserved as her restroom, and only after a week did her senses get used to the smell, which filled her entire room. Overall, her living situation was downright awful, but she had to endure.

And with everything, she was always under close observation. With a camera installed in the corner of her room, it always glowed red as it silently watched her. She sometimes found herself staring up at it, and the longer she stared at it, the harder she knew it was going to escape. But even with the camera rolling, she knew she had to get out. She couldn't give up, she had to escape.

She stood up and stretched her shoulders back, peering back to the camera and looking away quickly. She took off her silver gauntlets and held them gently in her hands. It was one of the last part of her apparel that remained. The Citadel had taken her boots, neck band, and armband, but left her gauntlets. She touched the cool silver and closed her eyes, holding them to her chest and remembering all the memories that came with them. Memories of her home and family on Tamaran flooded her mind. She remembered her K'norfka, her brother, and her parents. As the memories flooded her mind, she knew Tamaran's fate now rested in her hands. Her capture could be devastating for the planet, if she was to reveal anything about her home. She tightened her grip on her gauntlets as tears formed within her eyes. Truly, she did not know all of the answers to the Citadel's questions, but some of them she did. Every time she was asked those questions, she would say nothing, or say she knew nothing. But soon, she would have to make a choice to either save her planet or even be killed. Was she really willing to die for Tamaran? And what about Earth? Can she really protect both worlds, or will she have to sacrifice one or the other? She knew it would kill her inside if she had to sacrifice her home planet, but Earth had become her home after she escaped the Gordanians. Could she really choose between the two? Those thoughts always combined with the perplexing reason as to why they even needed her anyway. With Blackfire as their ally, couldn't she provide all of the information The Citadel needed? Why did they question her even when they could gather the information from her sister? Was the Citadel's intention really just revenge? Or was their plan more complicated than that? Did they honestly need more intelligence about Tamaran, information that even Blackfire couldn't provide? Or was it something else?

Starfire rubbed her temples with frustration, and slipped her gauntlets back on. This whole situation didn't seem to make any sense for the young princess. But her confusion didn't seem to matter to her. The only way to save both Earth and Tamaran was to escape, and she had to come up with a plan quickly, before it was too late.

There was a loud click and her door was swung open as the Gordanians marched in and motioned for her to stand. She complied reluctantly and allowed them to place handcuffs around her chaffed wrists and lead her out to the bright hallway. Once they reached the interrogation chambers, the soldiers pushed her through and quickly threw her into the chair, where she and the mercenaries waited patiently for the Breaker to arrive. After a few silent moments, he strode in and smiled, turning towards the guards and yelling a command in Gordanian, which caused them to march out of the room and lock the door behind them. He smirked and approached Starfire, holding a small metallic box in one arm. _"Hello, Koriand'r." _He greeted as he approached the table and rested the small box next to his other "toys". _"Hello, Breaker…" _She replied reluctantly. He sighed happily and smiled. _"It appears I have the honor of acquiring new tools from my superiors. They have thoroughly enjoyed my work so far, and they hope these will prove more useful in our next visits." _He motioned towards the small box. Starfire paled slightly with the fear of what could be in that box. It could be anything, from poison to a new knife. Whatever it was, it undoubtedly would cause her more pain. Most likely the most she had ever experienced in this dreaded chamber. The Breaker unlocked the small container and watched it open up and reveal its contents to him. He examined its contents one-by-one, pulling each item out carefully. _"First, we have a new chemical poison, which will be interesting to test out."_ He grinned devilishly. _"Then, we have a new tool to sharpen my knives with. That was desperately needed, indeed. And we also have this." _He pulled out a small, pistol-like weapon that was colored silver. He pressed a button and the weapon started to pulsate with red light, almost like he was awakening an animal from its slumber. He grinned again and placed the weapon behind him. _"We will test that little device in a little bit. But for now, let us discuss what is to change." _He rested his back against the wall and crossed his arms. _"So far, you have provided little to no information of your planet, which is frustrating. But my superiors are optimistic, and they are positive this next device will start to show the results they so crucially need." _He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. _"However, I am not as positive. So, we will try my own way, before we get try the new tool."_ Breaker explained as he walked behind her and opened a small latch that revealed a molting hot container. He unlocked a case of metal pieces, each having been formed with specific patterns, and he placed them gently in the container. As he waited for those to heat up, he approached her and whispered. _"I will ask you a few questions, now. How many members have joined the Teen Titans since its founding?" _The Breaker asked plainly.

She felt the color drain from her face, and her heart dropped into her stomach. If Starfire was scared for Earth before this, it was nothing compared to what she felt now. She felt like she could scream and cry at the same time. She didn't want to breathe, lest the Breaker catch her giving away any information about her friends. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she tried to come up with something to say. Her mind screamed as its fears were being realized. _"What do the Teen Titans have anything to do with Tamaran? You have no right to that information!" _She growled, although the fear was plain in her eyes. The Breaker smiled inwardly, seeing her terror and with a scaly finger he lifted her chin up towards his face. _"As you know, my darling, I hate these questions just as much as you. They bore me beyond belief. But, my superiors want answers and I must give it to them. So, answer my question" _He explained. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to calm her shaking body. _"You have not answered my own question! You may be following orders, but it does not give you the right to know anything!" _The Breaker narrowed his eyes slightly. He examined her body language and expression, realizing he would have to use another tactic to get information out of her. He sighed and shook his head. _"Are you refusing to answer my question, Koriand'r?" _He asked quietly. She narrowed her eyes, her silence answering her question. He smiled slightly and walked calmly behind her, picking through and took out one of the metal iron pieces, now bright red with heat. He clicked another button on his controller, which activated the restraints on the chair to tighten. Starfire strained and tried to pull her arms free, to no avail. Slowly, he approached her with the hot metal piece. He looked deep into her terrified eyes as he closed the distance between the hot metal and her side.

Searing pain. Blinding pain. Starfire could feel nothing else. As the metal made contact with her skin, she screamed in agony as it burned its mark into her frail skin. The Breaker pulled the metal away and examined the burn. He grinned with pleasure as he dropped the metal piece back into its container. _"You should openly refuse to answer my questions more frequently, my dear. It is much more pleasurable to watch you suffer." _He laughed. Starfire groaned softly, her tears feeling hot on her cheeks. He chuckled and pointed to her burn. _"I know you will recognize those words. I shaped that piece of metal just for use on Tamaranians." _He whistled and the guards rushed in, ignoring Starfire's pain and pulled her up from the chair. Before she was carried away, The Breaker stared at her and smiled. His smile almost fooled Starfire into believing he had some actual kindness in him. But his words revealed that to be false. _"I hope you enjoy being branded for what you really are. See you soon, Koriand'r."_ He chuckled maliciously as the guards dragged her back to her cell. As she was being dragged away, she could have sworn she heard him whistle the Tamaranian lullaby again. "_X'hal calls to you, my sleeping child. She is always watching you. Honor her, my sleeping child. And she shall wait for you, forever." _

The guards threw her into her cell and slammed the door shut, leaving her to address her wound. Although it was small, it throbbed with pain, as the black words of seared skin engraved her body with the word. The word her people had been labeled by for longer than she could remember. "Troq." Starfire clenched her fists and crawled to a sitting position, moving very slowly due to the pain. Tears continued to stream down her face in defeat. The Citadel had officially branded her. It may have been caused by her own refusal to abide by their rules, but now they have finally branded her for what they believed her to be. Nothing. To them, she was nothing in the grand scheme. To them, she and her people were worthless barbarians.

She hugged her legs to her chest, not even trying to wipe away her tears. This wasn't just to teach her a lesson. This burn now showed the Breaker and The Citadel that she could be broken. It was a symbol to her, that no matter what she did now, she would forever bare the name "Troq." Even if she tried, there was nothing she could do to escape her torture and imprisonment. She could do nothing, and now, they branded her as nothing.

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I hope you have enjoyed! This is the longest chapter I have written for Caged so far. (By the way, I would like to see if you all would like me to continue writing longer chapters, or if you prefer shorter chapters. If you don't mind, I would really appreciate the feedback. You can post a review or you can message me.)

This chapter is supposed to be a little darker and it shows the more harsher sides to The Citadel. And, even though this story is about the torture and imprisonment of one of the Titans, I haven't touched on all of the details of the horrible conditions until up to this point. I hope you don't mind content like that, and if you do mind, let me know so I don't continue that darker theme for the remainder of the story. And do not fret! I'm going to keep the rating clear in mind. The branding part, while bad, will most likely be the worst I will offer in terms of violence and adult themes, at least for this story. I hope you don't mind that.

Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews and I hope you had an awesome Christmas!

And before I forget, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

_N. Wolf_


	7. Chapter 7

I'M SORRY FOR BEING DEAD FOR MONTHS!

There, I got that out of the way. But seriously, I'm an awful person. I describe more of what happens on my profile, where I make updates about what's going on in my life. Check there for details. But that's all for my rambling about being awful. Let's cheer in hopes of making this a successful chapter!

I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS!

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Robin's body was soaked in sweat when he jerked from his slumber. His heart throbbed in his chest, and as he gripped the sheets of his bed, he gasped for air. After several minutes, he wiped his hot tears from his face and tried to compose himself. He had another nightmare. They were coming more frequently now, each one growing more and more vivid and real. He could still hear Starfire's high pitched screams haunt his mind.

With every passing day, the desperation and determination to find Starfire grew. The Titans had spent 3 days searching every location Cyborg directed them to, with no luck in finding anything that could lead them to The Citadel. Every failed search only fueled Robin's worst fears. He turned himself to sit on the edge of the bed and laid his head into his palms. Robin was helpless to the doubts that crept into his brain, but he pushed them aside and growled. "No, I won't doubt…I **will **find her…I have to…" The sound of light knocking was heard at his door. "Robin, we're at the next location." Raven stated, her hood shielding away her face. Robin didn't need to turn around to pick up on her weariness. His emotions must be wearing her down, and combined with Cyborg's, Beastboy's, and her own emotions, she must be feeling tormented. He wasn't the only one not getting any sleep. As she was turning to leave, he whispered. "I'm sorry, Raven…" She stopped, instantly knowing what he implied, and bowed her head. "It's not your fault, Robin. We can only hope to find her soon." She stated and made her way to the central command of their ship. Robin sighed, and quickly followed after her.

"I've got a good feeling on this one, dudes!" Beastboy cheered hesitantly, trying to lighten spirits. Cyborg nodded and grinned slightly, the first time he had since Starfire's capture. "I think Grass Stain is right! Maybe we will dig up something useful!" He reassured. "We'll work as a team on this one. The area is small enough for all of us to remain in communication and luckily, we'll find something." The Titans released their drones and split up, searching the area.

"So anything yet?" Cyborg asked after a few minutes. "Nothing yet." Raven replied. "Nothing." Robin grunted, his focus remaining on the search. "Hey guys! I think I found something!" He replied eagerly. The green drone hovered over a mass of metal, what looked to be the remains of a ship. Mostly desecrated by scavengers, the mass still had leftover encryptions found engraved on each piece. "My little robot is analyzing it I think! Almost done…there we go!" Beastboy read over the data that was sent to his screen and he paused. "Well, what is it?!" Robin asked frantically. "Umm…it kind of looks like some weird mumbo jumbo science stuff. I can't really make sense of it." Beastboy sighed. "Maybe it's lab reports? It could be a number of possible things depending on its origins. Do you recognize the language?" Raven suggested. "Not really. It just looks like a bunch of pictures and symbols to me. It doesn't look anything like Tamaranian." Beastboy added. "Here, send me the data. I can hopefully match the data to some of our records on alien language. Hopefully we can determine which one, and then be able to translate it. Great find BB!" Cyborg cheered as he downloaded the data from Beastboy's drone. "Yeah, good work Beastboy. Let's finish our search of the area. Maybe we can find something else." The Titans continued to search the area, and when they came up clean, they decided to end the search and wait for Cyborg to match the data to already recorded data. Once they deactivated their drones, Cyborg disconnected from the others and focused on the translations, while the others remained in connection.

"Any bets on whatever it is that I found?" Beastboy asked. "It doesn't matter what it is. As long as it helps us find Starfire, that's all that matters." Robin replied coldly. "Well, at least we found something this time. I don't think I could have taken another empty search." Beastboy added. "What do you think, Raven? You've been quite for a little while." Beastboy asked. When she remained silent, he started to worry. "Hey, Earth to Rae? You okay?" She snapped away from her thoughts and sighed. "Oh, yes. I'm fine, Beastboy…" She replied quietly. Beastboy frowned. "Is it the "sensing our emotions" thing?" He inquired. She shook her head. "No…yes…a little. I've just got a lot of things going through my head is all…" She explained. "Raven…" Robin replied somberly. "Don't Robin. Don't apologize for anything." She commanded. Robin growled. "But it is my fault! All of this is my fault!" He yelled. "Robin, you know that's not true. You did everything- "Robin cut her off. "No, I didn't Raven! It was my fault she was captured! If I had just paid closer attention to what was entering the Earth's atmosphere that night, she would still be here! She could be getting tortured because of my mistake!" He screamed. "Don't say that. Cyborg said that ship had some sort of cloaking device. You could have never known it was on Earth until it was too late. None of this is your fault!" Raven assured. "Hey Titans! I've got the data decoded, and I think I know what it says!" Cyborg voice cheered. Robin growled and the others remained silent. The happiness that Cyborg felt faded away almost instantly. "Umm, did I miss something?" He asked hesitantly. Robin took a deep breath and sighed. "What does it say?" Cyborg typed in a few commands into his screen, which sent the data to all the Titans screens. "As you can see, I've been able to translate the language to what the Gordainians use. The wreckage we found was trash, but the most interesting thing is, it's recent. This was just ejected from a Gordainian ship." Cyborg explained. "How does that help us? We missed the ship!" Beastboy groaned. "What it means, Beastboy, that a ship has just been here recently. We now know that this area is active with traffic, which means we won't have to wait very long for a ship to spot us." Cyborg explained more thoroughly. "Oh. Right. Makes sense!" Beastboy grinned sheepishly. "So, what's the next step?" Raven asked. "We wait. A ship will turn up eventually. We'll need to pretend we are incapacitated, which will attract pirates like Gordainians. Once the targeted ship is within range, we'll need some way to board the ship and get the information we need from its crew." Robin explained. "How do we know a ship will be attracted to us?" Beastboy asked. "From what Starfire told us, Gordainians are pirates and mercenaries. If there is any opportunity to find wealth, they'll search it out." Robin summarized. "The only problem is getting into the ship. We have no way doing so without alerting the ship to our presence." Raven stated dryly. "That's where you're not entirely correct, Raven. We technically do have a way." Cyborg stated hesitantly. "Well, what is it?" Robin questioned. "It requires a lot of timing and preparation. In case of emergencies, I installed an eject button into each of our pods. We can eject our pods and wait from a distance, and when the ship approaches we can take out its engines and quickly board before they can escape." Cyborg sighed. "It's dangerous. We only have one shot, as the pods don't have any cloaking systems to hide us from the ship's sensors. What makes it worst is, without someone inside the T-ship, there will be no firepower to disable the enemy ship. One of us has to stay to keep the T-ship running, and if the pods are detected too soon…." He trailed off.

Starfire had just stirred from her slumber when her Gordainian guards busted into her room. Without her consent, they quickly threw her into the hallway and marched her to the interrogation chamber, where The Breaker was sitting in a chair waiting for her. He absent-mindedly toyed with the small pistol-shaped torture device in his hands while the guards pushed Starfire into her seat. When they finished, he motioned for them to dismiss, and they obediently exited the room and shut the door behind them.

When they were left alone, Breaker grinned. _"Hello, Koriande'r." _She growled inwardly but replied. _"Hello, Breaker." _He nodded and showed her his toy. _"Do you recognize this? I was gifted this at our last session by my superiors. We have yet to test out its functions, so today it has been scheduled to do so." _He flicked a switch and watched the tool come to life in his hands, pulsating a bright red and orange light. _"You have yet to reveal any information of value to my superiors. As they feel my tactics are "unsuccessful" for you, they have decided to subjugate you to this." _He tightened her restraints and snickered when he saw the glimpse of fear in her eyes. _"I see it within you. Fear. Don't worry, Koriande'r." _He drew the tool to the back of her neck, and with a sharp pinch it began to inject a clear liquid into Starfire. Her vision grew hazy after only seconds, and when the room started to rapidly spin around her, she heard Breaker's final words before losing consciousness. _"You're entering the hell of your own making." _

Starfire groggily opened her eyes, rubbing her head from the massive headache that she now experienced. _"What happened? Where am I?" _She examined her surroundings. 4 white walls surrounded her, with a bright illuminating light that intensified her headache every time she looked up. She groaned from the pain and tried to stand up, but fell backwards when she noticed the state of her body. All across her body, were burns. Every inch of her was burned with the word she despised, "Troq." Her breathing became quicker as she discovered more and more burns all over her, labeling her nothing. Her mind, her body, her soul; all nothing. Tears brimmed her eyes as she tried to close her eyes, trying to shake herself from the nightmare she had just entered. But to no avail, every time she opened her eyes, more burns appeared all over her, growing more and more painful every time they appeared.

She barely heard the rumbling of a horn below her feet, signaling the opening of many pipes and chambers that pushed water through. The rushing water quickly began to fill the room, and before Starfire could react, the water had raised above her head. She swam to the ceiling and gasped for what little air remained. Her screaming became only sputters and coughs as the water filled her lungs, sucking away her life by every second. She released her final gasps before feeling the water overfill her insides and slowing her heartbeat. Few thoughts came to her mind, only the feelings of despair filling her mind. _"I'm dying…this is the end, Starfire…"_

When she felt herself lose consciousness, she closed her eyes and opened them to a pitch darkness surrounding her. _"Am I dead?" _She thought morbidly. She looked at her arms and legs, feeling the tears of joy arise from her as the burns disappeared. She cautiously took in a deep breath, allowing air to fill her lungs. A chilling breeze threatened to suck away the air that filled her lungs, and as she looked around, she realized she was in the darkest reaches of space. In the distance she could make out the billions of stars overhead. "This is quite confusing… How did I get here? How am I breathing air?" She stated plainly. _"What is happening to me? What did The Breaker inject into me? Are these hallucinations brought about by the injection?" _She thought worryingly. Whatever she was experiencing, she had to find a way to wake up. This couldn't be real! None of this could be real. She just had to find the way to break from this nightmare and awaken. Just as she started to pull away from her thoughts, a distant firefight drew her attention. The pulsating lights of energy bolts was seen as two ships, one much smaller than the other, dueled in space combat. As she drew nearer, Starfire gasped when she recognized the markings on both ships. The larger, more advanced ship was a Gordainian raiding ship, while the other one…The enormous T engraved into the front of the ship indicated exactly who it was. She watched in horror as the Gordainian raider bombarded the T-ship, every bolt jolting the small ship and breaking a part off. As if she was on the ship, she could accurately hear the frantic voices of her friends. "We need to pull back! The T-ship wasn't built for this kind of fight!" Cyborg's desperate scream ringed in her ears. "Engine one is down! We won't be able to escape without it!" Raven's yelled. "It doesn't matter anymore, Titans! We came here to rescue Star! If we can't escape, then we need to bring this ship down with us!" Robin commanded. "I hate to admit it, but…. Robin's right…" Beastboy concluded sadly. "Right…All power left is being focused to the main guns. This is it team…" Cyborg stated, his voice cracking with his own fear. "No…" Raven mumbled, her sobs interrupting her. "At least we go out with a bang, right?" Beastboy stated, his eyes beginning to tear up. "Yeah, Grass Stain. When we reach whatever is beyond this…I hope we'll all be there. Starfire too. At least we'll be together then…" Cyborg cried, wiping his face with the backs of his metal hands. "Star, I'm sorry…We couldn't save you…I failed you. I'm sorry, Titans…" Robin muttered with despair.

"ROBIN! FRIENDS!" Starfire screamed. She pushed herself as fast as she could, but when the raider continued to pummel the breaking ship, she watched in agony as the T-ship tore apart, and with one last final barrage, exploded into millions of pieces. Starfire screamed and cried, tears floating off her face. She crumpled into a ball and sobbed into her knees, desperate to wake herself from this terrible nightmare. She sobbed and cried until she felt herself lose consciousness again, from which she wished this meant the end of her living nightmare.

Starfire slowly peeked her eyes open and saw The Breaker calmly sitting back in his chair, examining her. He grinned when he saw her awaken. _"Hello, Koriande'r. You are quite fascinating to watch. So inform me, what did you see? The destruction of your planet? The death of your friends? From the tears currently falling from your eyes, it must have been quite the night terror." _He asked, his lustful eyes gleaming with his own perverted desires for violence and pain. Starfire growled and remained silent, adverting her face from his eyes. He grinned again, and gently lifted her chin up towards his face. He lowered his voice and whispered in a singing voice. _"X'hal calls to us, my dying child. She beckons us, and we must answer. Follow her through the light of enduring, and never let go. Her embrace, the only comfort I know." _Starfire gazed at him with terror, her face paling as he chuckled lightly. _"Are you afraid of me? Do not fool yourself, "Starfire". This is the real nightmare." _He looked up and whistled, signaling for the guards to break through the entrance and pull Starfire from her restraints. Before she was pulled away, she looked back to hear The Breaker whisper in his low voice. _"See you soon, Koriande'r…" _She was pulled away, leaving The Breaker to continue absent-mindedly playing with the injecting gun from before, only this time, he whistled the tune of the lullaby once more.

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Sorry for this one being a little on the short side. The next chapter is going to be where stuff starts to get intense (At least that will be my intention) If you are also keeping up to date with my other in progress story, "Life of a Teenager", you might understand (Maybe even desire?) for my priority at the moment to get that chapter out faster than this story. Personally, I can write this story quicker than LOAT. It's just easier for me to write and get out. That is not saying I'm giving my readers bad writing, I'm hoping for quite the opposite in actuality. Maybe it's the longer chapter thing? For those who don't keep up with LOAT, I sincerely apologize and I hope you understand.

Anyway, I'm rambling again. Both stories will be updated in the near future. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and feel free to give me your opinions of any matters that I have recently brought up. Or just critics on my writing. That's cool too.

See you soon!

_N. Wolf_


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